Dunedin born physiotherapist and athlete Caden Shields loves the steady sound of his own footfall on a hilly zigzag track.
Caden did his Health Science studies with the help of a scholarship in the US, but found himself drawn home to study physiotherapy at Otago by the famous Dunedin student lifestyle, the hills right outside our doorstep, and by his affection for close family and friends.
The change from a directed style of learning offshore to Otago, where more emphasis is placed on well-resourced independent research and practice was a bit difficult at the start, but the extra-curricular experience Caden gained through a ten week summer scholarship at the School of Physiotherapy proved to be a game changer. He could easily ask questions and find timely answers. He gained enhanced time management and interpersonal skills by working outside of class time mentored by staff and has taken these skills with him into a busy professional life.
Being a national level long distance runner himself, Caden takes a keen interest in functional rehabilitation, biomechanical analysis, manual therapy and exercise prescription for athletes of all shapes, ages, stages and abilities. He now works with a team of highly trained specialists at Physio Performance in Dunedin. The Director of Physio Performance is another Otago School of Physiotherapy graduate, Helen Littleworth.
At the 2014 Graduation Prizegiving, Caden was awarded 6 prizes including the premier one – the University Bookshop “Best All Round Student in the BPhty programme”.
Caden plans to do more research work through the School of Physiotherapy which may prove useful as he prepares for his first full marathon next year.